Egypt's new world number one Karim Darwish will head the
line-up for the 2009 ATCO Super Series Finals, which will
bring together the top eight qualifiers from the 2008
Professional Squash Association (PSA) Super Series World Tour.
This year's event will be staged for the first time at the world
famous Queen's Club in London from 14-17 March.

Following
the spectacular success of the championships in its first two
years under the joint-stewardship of Ziad Al-Turki,
Vice-Chairman of the ATCO Group, and the
internationalSPORTgroup, the modified four-day ATCO Super
Series Finals - The Queen's Club 2009 will feature two pools
of four players, leading to finals which will produce a 1-8
finish.

"There is
no event as significant as a tour-end championship and since its
inception in 1992 at the Vitis Club in Zurich, the Super Series
Finals have transformed the World Tour into a race, creating a
home straight and linking the world's most glamorous events and
venues from New York's Grand Central Terminal to the shimmering
Gulf of Arabia and beyond," said Ziad Al-Turki.

Darwish
will head the star-studded eight-man line-up, which will also
feature compatriots Ramy Ashour, the reigning World
Open champion, Amr Shabana and Wael El Hindi;
France's reigning ATCO Super Series Finals champion
Gregory Gaultier and fellow countryman Thierry Lincou;
British Open champion David Palmer of Australia;
and England's James Willstrop.

The Queen’s Club To Be New Home
For ATCO Super Series Finals

The
world-famous Queen’s Club in London will play host to the
ATCO Super Series Squash Finals next year.

One of the most important squash championships on the PSA Tour,
the ATCO Super Series Finals – The Queen’s Club 2009 sees the
top eight players in the world competing for one of the richest
prize funds in the sport.

The Queen’s Club is best known as the home of the Artois
Championships, the premier pre-Wimbledon grass court tennis
championships.

Promoters of the four-day championships, which will take place from
14-17 March, believe the decision to hold the event at The Queen’s
Club is ground-breaking for the game of squash.

Among the star names expected to take part are world number one
Amr Shabana, of Egypt; fellow countryman Ramy Ashour;
Australian David Palmer, the reigning British Open
champion; leading English players James Willstrop and Nick
Matthew; as well as title-holder Gregory Gaultier, the
world number two from France.
Ziad Al-Turki,
Vice-Chairman of the ATCO Group, said: “Since acquiring the rights
to this major event, we have been working very hard at finalising a
solid and sustainable commercial platform from which the
championships can prosper over the short, medium and long-term.
Bringing this prestigious event to The Queen’s Club has the
potential to take the profile of professional squash on to a new
level.

“The Queen’s Club is one of the world's greatest rackets clubs and
many things about it really appealed to us, including its unique
heritage, its convenient location, its track record of hosting top
quality events and the enthusiastic reception we have received from
its members. I am sure that staging the event at The Queen’s Club
will help us greatly to further drive the success of the
championships.

The Queen’s
Club Chairman, Lord Marshall of Knightsbridge commented: “We
are tremendously excited by the accord we have struck with the ATCO
Group. Top squash live is absolutely thrilling and spectators will
be able to see it on a state-of-the-art all-glass show court. Our
aspiration is to help Paul and Ziad build on what is already a
terrific sporting fixture and grow it into a spectacular sporting
occasion, broadening its appeal and attracting a wider audience.”

Since concluding a seven-year agreement with the Professional
Squash Association (PSA) in 2007, the prestigious annual
season-ending championships, and the squash equivalent of the Tennis
Masters Cup, has grown from strength to strength under the
joint-stewardship of Ziad Al-Turki. The 2009 championships will
boast a prize fund in excess of $100,000 and will feature the
world’s top eight players who will compete in two pools of four
players, leading to finals which will produce a 1-8 finish.

Steeped in history and with unrivalled sporting facilities, The
Queen’s Club has several elegant rooms and high quality catering to
ensure that spectators will enjoy a memorable occasion in an
historic setting alongside the best squash in the world. The ATCO
Super Series Finals – The Queen’s Club 2009 will end with a gala
dinner after the final, attended by all players and sponsors.

Tickets
for the ATCO Super Series Finals – The Queen’s Club can be
booked on 0844 870 0000

First staged in Switzerland back in 1992,
the Super Series Finals brings together the top eight player
from the Hi-Tec Super Series Tour to compete in an annual grand
final for one of the sport's most prestigious titles.

One of the richest events in the
calendar, the Super Series Finals were staged at Zurich's Vitis Club
in 1993 and 1994 before an increase in sponsorship saw the event take
up a three-year residency at the vast Galleria shopping complex in
Hatfield, Hertfordshire from 1996-98. The tournament was dominated in
those early years by by Pakistan's Jansher Khan, who won the title
four times in five attempts.